After two years of work I have been been approved as a Associate of the RPS (ARPS). An ARPS distinction is the second highest level in the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) with only a fellowship being higher. To achieve this you have to be project focused and put together a coherent panel of 15 images. With this a Statement Of Intent (SOI) has to be prepared describing the meaning of the panel. My panel was based on the enclosure of Zoo animals and their inherent beauty. So although they were trapped by the frames of the images they are still creature to be admired. Next steps are to consider if I will take on the work to a obtain a fellowship.

Over the past 6 months I have been competing on the Photocrowd website https://www.photocrowd.com most competitions involve upto a 1000 photographers who come from all over the world. It's fascinating to see how you perform against stiffer competition. Over these months I have had a series of wins and top ten finishes. You can find my profile here https://www.photocrowd.com/photographer-community/29921/ where you will see on the 23rd of March 2018 I am the 88th ranked photographer and only recently have fallen out of the top 50. I have over 5500 followers on photocrowd which is growing daily. Thanks to everybody who takes the time to follow and comment on my images it's really appreciate.

Last month I was lucky enough to get a page in What Digital Camera magazine discussing the Canon 5D Mark III and some of my animal photography. The black background photographs are really popular and sell well. So if you looking for a new years gift then take a look at Paulbnashphotography.com